


A Brother's Tale

by Rens_Knight



Series: In the Burning of the Light [7]
Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: Literature, Multi, Sci-Fi, fan fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-10
Updated: 2017-02-10
Packaged: 2018-10-23 04:28:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10712184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rens_Knight/pseuds/Rens_Knight
Summary: All the way from the Sith tomb on Hoth where Sith Lord Tarssus Kallig first met Talos Drellik, formerly a lieutenant of the Imperial Reclamation Service, the heretic Sith has held Drellik in the highest of respect, and respect has blossomed into deep friendship rivaled by only one other in Kallig's life.Now Tarssus and Talos must navigate a stormy course upon which even--andespecially--friendships of such great power have been known to run fatally aground.





	A Brother's Tale

I can only imagine the sort of Sith Talos Drellik would have become had the gift of wielding the Force come to him in lieu of his brother.  The other Drellik, as best as I understand from the little Talos has told me, swore off his family the instant he became an acolyte, like I had seen so many others do at the Academy once they began to see themselves as having been elevated above the common beast.

Having myself been one labeled as a beast, I told myself from the moment Overseer (hah, what a fitting title!) Harkun's goons tore me away from my father on Dromund Fels that I would not allow the burgeoning of my gift to diminish my memories and affections.  My father had not wielded the Force; still I loved him dearly.  But it was Talos Drellik who truly opened my eyes to what I, born in the slave pens, had never imagined a non-Force-wielder might do.

Oh, I'd seen the brutish sort of non-Force-wielder before--the sort like my navigator Andronikus Revel, debauched, vengeful, and in the case of many an overseer (and same in a way with Harkun, I suspect), taking out the deaths of their frustrated ambitions and their weaknesses upon the backs of the slaves with a vibrowhip.  But Lieutenant Drellik, then of the Imperial Army's historical research arm, the Reclamation Service...I'd never seen his like.

I had stood practically beside myself as Talos strode confidently up to the tomb of a Sith Lord--a task that gave plenty a Sith pause, myself included--knowing very well that lethal snares awaited...and with nothing but his wit, his physical strength, and a homebuilt energy dissipator, he drew a blast of stored Force lightning from the trap at the tomb entrance and waited in utter stillness for the torrent to spend itself before prising the tomb open.  I had never witnessed a thing like it, and certainly hadn't expected it from this slight-figured, seemingly unremarkable middle-aged soldier-scholar who very clearly lacked any of the Sith ability to manipulate the Force.

Thus when Talos put in his retirement and requested a place on my crew, I didn't hesitate for a moment to accept.  And that acceptance clearly caught _him_ quite by surprise, for I am sure that for all his fascination with the history of our order, many a Sith Lord had used him as a mere means to an end, including my own former master, Zash.

I like to fancy that I _do_ know what sort of Sith Lord he would have become--drawn to the Sphere of Ancient Knowledge like myself, I'm sure, a lover of the obscure and the arcane for its own sake, still possessed of great bravery, and perhaps, one would dare to hope, something of a wiser and more temperate lord than Darth Thanaton.  Or, I suppose, the elder Drellik.  Perhaps it would be I who would have served under a Darth Talos rather than the other way around, as the Empire expects one without the Force to appear to the casual eye before one such as myself.

I found that with or without the Force, Talos followed the philosophical musings that for my apprentices, Ashara and Xalek, were a late-acquired second language.  And, as with Ashara, I felt no need to keep secrets from Talos...neither facts of battle and archaeology, nor my true nature itself.  Still, for all my observations, I have never mastered the arts of the living mind as I have my affinity for the spirits of the dead.  Any other time, I would not waste time wishing for something other than the clouded perceptions I do have of the moment--but in the case of Talos Drellik, I might have preferred a bit of warning to prepare for what eventually transpired.

Talos had just got word of his old mentor, Auselio Gann...none of it good.  I had given him leave to search for Professor Gann, with a stiff warning not to hesitate to call upon my aid if he required it, lest he become a casualty himself in the process.  Talos managed the journey alone and return safe...but alone.  

Professor Gann's protege put up a brave front, to be sure--a veneer of cheerfulness, even, as he resolved to move forward with his own work in honor of Professor Gann--but even I, of unimpressive gifts of the mind, could feel the trail of anguish he left in his wake, as one who had lost a member of his own family.  It didn't last long...the obvious impressions never did with Talos; he always suppressed his troubles with Sith-like expertise after the initial shock had passed, either not wanting the eyes of others upon his discomfort, or feeling, perhaps, that a man of discipline ought not burden others with his less-than-exemplary moods.

And that, I believe, is what obscured so many hints of what Talos was about to profess.  

A month after learning of Professor Gann's fate, Talos stood before me, bashfulness and exuberance churning back and forth like oil and water.  "My lord," he began, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, "I just wanted to thank you again, and not just for giving me the opportunity to find some sort of...closure regarding Auselio Gann.  You see, the wonders I have seen working by your side are more than I could have ever hoped!  Truly you are a _paragon_ among the Sith and the Empire."

There was something odd about the atmosphere in the room--something on edge, resonant, and absolutely alive.  My discomfort, perhaps, about Talos' rather colorful and romanticized description, far more sincere than one typically heard from a non-Force-wielder seeking to appease a capricious Sith Lord (like a slave in the pen).  But...that wasn't it.  Or _all_ of it, by far.  It was more than mere self-perception.  There _had_ to be something else.

"I seek only knowledge," I demurred, hoping my quickly-averted gaze wouldn't draw too much notice.  "If it serves the Empire," _\--its betterment--_ "then good."  Now, even more, _I_ was the one to feel completely off-balance.

"That's precisely what I admire about you, my lord: your love of knowledge."  Talos' gaze sought intently within my own, as if guided by the Force he could see outwardly but never feel or direct.

It was _that instant_ when the full _force_ of it indeed slammed into me, knocking the very breath from my lungs.  Even as one who had made no effort to search for it in him, how could I have been so blind to those looks of his, so deaf to the full implication of the passion undergirding his pronouncements towards me?  How could I have missed the extraordinary similarities between his approach to me and that of Ashara Zavros, each veiled in strict discipline, ever the proper representative of their orders, yet both warring with something that far superseded duty?  

Yet as I played back our conversations in my mind, it was suddenly _impossible_ for me to miss, that very same battle between an unyielding protocol that prescribed the proper distances between a junior officer and a Sith Lord, and that magnetic pull to come closer until, even without touching, the air itself warmed between us.  How many times had we stood together, leaning over an artifact, rapt in our shared observations and the self-igniting fire of the inspirations and the discoveries in and of themselves--and I'd thought that was _all_ it was.  I'd been so drawn in by that very exchange of ideas that it hadn't occurred to me to imagine there might be anything else there...

True, I could still be _frightfully_ wrong, and even if I was not...oh, stars, where to proceed from here...!

In the slave pens, this would be unheard of except in the most veiled language, given the sharp decrease in marketable value it brought a male as viable breeding stock...and this was a loss one's owner might seek to recoup by sale to customers of exclusive tastes.  It was an unenviable fate for a man, and it took a truly vile loathing of one's fellow slave to mark him before an overseer for such a life of pain, especially for one like myself, who did not share the risk oneself of a similar catastrophic devaluation.

Not so in Sith society, I had found: the temerity to question the personal company of one so strong in the Force tended to end fatally for the questioner rather than the questionee.  Power kept such intrusion into the private--even the most gauchely public--of personal affairs of _any_ Sith Lord to a most understandable minimum.  The free civilians generally followed suit, though with the expectation that those who bore no kin of their own line do their civic duty and take into their homes the Imperial children whose parents were lost to disaster or to the Republic.

Myself--I had been pulled from the slave pens and their code of silent solidarity, and thrust straight into the Sith Order without a second to even breathe, let alone to know what it was that free, and especially _highborn_ Forceless society like Drellik's class did about a moment like this.  It was nerve-wracking enough with Ashara where my passion gave me at least _some_ sort of guidance on what to do, even if my mouth did tend to invite my foot into it altogether too often.  But this...dear me, what was I to _do_...?

 _Step One_ , I could almost hear Talos himself advising, just as he did when he talked himself through his research when he thought no one was listening.  _Ascertain the pattern of facts_.

"Talos..."  I hardly knew where to start except that I _had_ to in some manner.  "There is something more to this than common intellectual interest, if I'm not mistaken...?"

"I...m'lord...I apologize; I am too far beneath your station as a Lord of the Sith to consider that I might have your friendship--forgive my presumption--"

To have your friendship...

Let alone your love.

I hadn't heard it with my mind--and a good thing, too, for such things must not be prised out before their time even under _this_ sort of circumstance.  But there it was, the longing writ plainly across the face of Talos Drellik, and trailing from the tremors of his voice.  Talos...he didn't know about Ashara; I'd kept our relationship quiet in accordance with her wishes.

And Talos had fallen in love.  With me.

"I--"  My voice caught; I couldn't help stammering much like Talos himself.  "'Beneath my station'--you are _not_ beneath my station for something as trifling as your midicholorian count.  _That_ much I _cannot_ let you continue to believe."

"Still--I'm sorry, m'lord--I have the utmost respect for Imperial tradition--"

"Talos..."

"--but it pleases me immensely to hear you lay this one by the wayside."  A hint of a smile crossed Talos' lips, one he seemed to fight desperately to hold back, but could not any longer.

"You do have my friendship, Talos; you can count on that."  The archaeologist closed his eyes to listen as I spoke, as if listening to a fine instrument.  It pained me to see it, knowing my side of the truth as I did.  "But whatever you have to say, it'll not help either of us to continue dancing around it," I told myself every bit as much as him.

"It's...I...it would be my greatest honor to share much more with you than friendship," Talos declared.  "I...would offer myself as consort, m'lord, if you would have me.  All my loyalty, and all my love."  This he punctuated with a deep, sweeping bow.

My voice cracked as the first words emerged--fine instrument indeed when I truly needed it!--choked halfway into silence.  What to say, what to _say_ \--dear galaxies, all I could think of were the words of one slave to another when faced with a situation like this: one dared not speak too plainly even when the need was as deep as this, lest the overseer catch wind and make a thrice-unlucky man where rejection alone bore sting enough.  "I...I have no answer for that, Talos."

The words emerged toneless, hollow, and very likely devoid of meaning to a highborn officer--how could I possibly salvage this without leaving a further legacy of pain in Talos' heart after what he already bore for his mentor...and perhaps even the first man he ever felt this deeply for, most likely unrequited as well...!  But it was all I knew to say: that what he sought would find no match in me.

"Oh...oh...I...right, then..." Talos stammered, then straightened his back, ever the soldier even in his retirement.  "I see...I apologize most profusely, my lord--I--I would understand if you put me off at the nearest port for my impertinence."  Even with that mask of refined discipline, I could still catch it in the lines around his eyes: the man was heartbroken and terrified all at once...quite understandable, for many a Sith had rebuffed an unwanted advance quite permanently.

"Is that how little we understand each other aboard this ship?" I muttered, half to myself.  "I meant no harm," I said, this time to Talos.  "This is an unfamiliar situation for me.  But I am _not_ going to put off a valued friend and a member of my crew.  You've more than proven your trust to me.  That's a rare and priceless commodity, but _not_ just a thing to be collected or traded.  It is far more important than that.  I hope I haven't made you feel that uncomfortable, anyway, that you wish to leave."

"N-no, my lord.  It's only that you're Sith, and you have certain rights by tradition when it comes to your subjects without the Force..."

"And I am not Darth Thanaton, to do something simply because I'm _entitled_ to it, or because my ancestors might have done it.  Even Lord Aloysius has made his peace with the fact that his living heir doesn't play by all of the rules he did."  And look where that conformity had got our family, until I became Sith.  Though my ancestor's spirit had yet to show a face that perhaps even _he_ had forgotten behind his mask, there was no mistaking the regret that clung to the ancient Force ghost, who had done everything he'd ever believed was right, until it burnt him in the end.  My fingers brushed across my silver diadem.  "Sometimes--more times than one might think, Talos--it's time to lay aside one's crown."

"Your humility is one of your most admirable traits," Talos reflected.  "I had considered swearing the ancient oath to you, not just of consort, but to bind myself to serve your line.  These are tense times, after all; a Sith Lord needs to have his allies--but if there's one thing I've learnt from this, it's that you wouldn't accept that sort of oath either."

I smiled, a touch of relief flitting through me.  "And you would be right about that," I confirmed.  "I may have the Force, but I am _not_ about to take vassals.  Another tradition I have absolutely _no_ use for.  Not to mention, I would not have you beholden to me when you find someone who can actually give you all that you deserve.  Nor would I allow an oath that would bind any child you adopt.  And finally...I find that an incredibly poor way to treat one's brother."

A rare sliver of bitterness escaped from Talos at the word 'brother.'  Not quite the reaction I had first expected--but then, ever so clearly, I understood.  "You would be the first Sith to actually acknowledge me as a brother, m'lord."

To that I simply nodded: no need to dredge up the contempt of Talos' biological sibling any more than I had already inadvertently done.

"M'lord--"

"'Tarssus,' when it's just you and me.  And Ashara."

"Ahhh..."  And with that lilting sigh of understanding, a puzzle solved...I knew the archaeologist had put it all together, understanding at last _her_ significance to me.

"Just remember," I couldn't help adding, summoning up such gravity that it had to appear almost comical...or I wasn't doing it right, "it would _not_ do at all for a Sith Lord not to be properly introduced to his potential brother-in-law."

Talos drew in a breath, astonished: even beneath the light teasing, he understood now that my words had been the _furthest_ thing from hyperbole.  That I truly _had_ just initiated him as family.  

At that Talos Drellik straightened, just barely resisting a military salute--something familiar, something steadying, something that would buy him the time he needed to begin settling this all within himself.  Still, he beamed at my words.  "No, Tarssus...it most certainly would not be fitting at all."  


**Author's Note:**

>  **Soundtrack** : ["Into the Past"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ndv9ecwOpjk) by Nero, ["Band of Brothers Suite One"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=El63cSa4ag8) by Michael Kamen
> 
>  **Acknowledgment:** Thank you so much to EsmeAmelia at dA for the beta read. I'm sure my inexperience with this genre still shows, but thank you for trying to make this story better. :)
> 
>  **An important SWTOR canon note for this story:** A dialogue option in the male Sith Inquisitor's companion storyline for Talos (pronounced "TAY-luss") Drellik gives the male Inquisitor the opportunity to ask if Drellik is flirting with him. However, there is not a same-sex romance storyline for the male Inquisitor and Drellik. Nor is Talos Drellik offered as a romance interest for the female Inquisitor (REAL shame, given not everyone would want 'bad boy' Andronikos Revel!). While this is not absolute "Word of Dev," I think this is very strong in-game evidence based on this to suppose that in canon, the male Sith Inquisitor is heterosexual and that Talos Drellik is homosexual and thus, any attempt to ship the two of them would deviate from canon.
> 
> The idea, however, of watching my male Light Sith Inquisitor deal with the turn his deep friendship with Talos Drellik suddenly takes, seemed to me like a great story idea--perhaps even more, in this case, than doing the "typical fanfic thing" of retconning someone's sexual orientation or just sweeping that angle under the rug entirely and completely ignoring the implications the game seems to rather obviously suggest. As I played the role of Tarssus Kallig in-game, I became very certain that Tarssus' deep respect for and close intellectual affinity with Talos Drellik was very likely to lead to a bond of friendship so strong that one only experiences a handful of times in one's entire life. I felt that might well give Talos hope of something else. As such, while SWTOR players might recognize some lines in this story from the end of Talos Drellik's in-game storyline, I have heavily modified the dialogue to suit the dynamics that I felt certain would have really been in play by the end of the quest.


End file.
